AEF’s Regional Children’s Mental Health Consortium
The Alliant Educational Foundation launched it’s highly collaborative “mental health consortium” in 2020, helping to place CSPP graduate students in clinical psychology at a variety of youth-serving non-profit organizations. At each site, CSPP students bolster the capacity of existing organizations to better address the mental health needs of under-resourced children, youth, and their families.
Check out our newest press release about the success of the San Diego initiative after five years, the launch of the new San Francisco/Bay Area program, and a new seed grant to help launch an in-house clinic within CSPP-Sacramento!
We invite you to learn more about this important program. For a quick primer on the consortium, please check out our animated overview here and our new 2024 infographic here.
Dr. Debra Kawahara Table Talk & CSPP-LA Alumni Mixer
AEF congratulates Debra Kawahara, PhD, Associate Dean and Distinguished Professor of the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant International University on being elected President of the American Psychological Association (APA). Dr. Kawahara’s term as President of APA begins on January 1, 2025 and she graciously shared a bit about her professional journey at a live table talk event held at Alliant’s Alhambra campus on September 14th.
Joined by the University’s leadership, CSPP alums, AEF donors, current faculty, staff, and select students—and a special introduction by Congressional Representative Judy Chu—Dr. Kawahara held an insightful dialogue with AEF Board Member Dr. Connell Persico. Covering topics from her early inspiration to her professional journey to her vision for APA, the talk was followed by a social mixer with CSPP alums and guests in a relaxed outdoor setting on campus.
You can view photos from the Table Talk here.
Thank you to all who attended and please enjoy the video replay of the event.
CSPP Alumni & Friends Reception at August APA Convention
Co-hosted by AEF and CSPP, more than 100 CSPP alums and guests attended a special reception at the Hyatt Regency in Seattle, Washington on August 8th.
This special event took place on night one of the annual convention of the American Psychological Association (APA) and included brief remarks by AEF’s CEO Valin Brown, Director of Development & Alumni Relations Reggie Garcia, Dean of CSPP Dr. David Stewart, and Associate Dean of CSPP Dr. Debra Kawahara.
The spirited gathering offered alumni, current students, faculty and staff a chance to mix and mingle and you can view more photos here of the special event.
Growth of the Alliant Ed Foundation “Fellows” Program
This fall marks the launch of the second cohort of the Alliant Ed Foundation (AEF) Fellows, a new program supporting 19 incoming students across the State of California in their pursuit of PhD and PsyD degrees in clinical psychology. Many of these students share a commitment to social justice and community impact, high GPA’s, some level of financial need, and in some cases, are the first to attend college or graduate school in their families.
At scale, this program will support 80-100 such students with multi-year scholarships, peer connections, mentorship, and more. AEF’s Vice Chair of the Board, Dr. Connell Persico, remains a staunch supporter of this program and currently serves as our “Board Champion,” providing critical leadership and direction to the initiative.
Scholarships for Students
Each spring, the Foundation launches its newest round of scholarship funding. This annual round of funding is made possible, in large part, by the generosity of more than 50 donor-restricted scholarship funds aimed at helping Alliant students across all six California campuses. Nearly $100,000 in tuition assistance will be granted for the coming year starting this fall.
AEF also approved an additional $500,000 in scholarship support in collaboration with the Alliant International University system, with $250,000 earmarked for diversity, equity, and inclusion scholarships for 2024 – 2025.